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stanwan
879 posts
96 months
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Blueg33/nick. You have PM!
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tonker
44,039 posts
118 months
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Ilikebeaver said: You don't want Vaicama doors, you want some fully bespoke doors by Graefe of Oxfordshire.
Their doors go into the most luxurious of residences. No more expensive but much better quality, hand built in England by true craftsmen. Just gor Graefe pencilled in for an initial talk through what we want.... will update when they've been.
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E36GUY
3,886 posts
88 months
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High end lighting - planned early!!! - with good quality scene controllers so one can alter the atmosphere of a room.
White plastic swtich plates are not necessarily indicative of a poor quality. I have the Lutron Rania switches throughout my gaff in white plastic finish. I don't actually particularly like the metal versions.
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burwoodman
1,254 posts
116 months
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NIck,
Assuming one had the land. A high spec such as some of the shots on royaltons site looks very nice. Take your friends recent build. Am I correct in assuming the house would be about £1500-£1800 per SM for something around 500 sq metres plus the land which could be anything? Thanks
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blueg33
10,893 posts
94 months
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burwoodman said: NIck,
Assuming one had the land. A high spec such as some of the shots on royaltons site looks very nice. Take your friends recent build. Am I correct in assuming the house would be about £1500-£1800 per SM for something around 500 sq metres plus the land which could be anything? Thanks I don't believe he was much over £1500 per sqm circa £150 per sqft. And the house gets bigger the cost per sqm falls as much is empty space. Land is on top. The land price tends to be worked as a residual. You take the final finshed value, deduct costs and if you are a developer profit. The number that is left is the land value.
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Muncher
8,350 posts
119 months
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I'm in the middle of building a house that will be relatively high spec for the price level (~£500k), to give you an idea it will include the following:
- underfloor heating upstairs and downstairs 18 zones with iPhone control.
- multiple cat6 and satellite cable to every room
- burglar alarm and CCTV
- emergency lighting
- all oak doors and oak/glass staircase
- all high end neff appliances
- 4.5m bifolds
- high end LED lighting from E36Guy
- mains pressure hot water system
- all metal sockets and light switches
- 3 bathrooms and downstairs WC
- wet room
- high end free standing bath and sanitaryware
- heated mirrors
- 2 storey double garage
- distributed multimedia
- integrated cinema system
- electric gates
When it's listed like that I can see why it's so expensive!
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burwoodman
1,254 posts
116 months
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blueg33 said: I don't believe he was much over £1500 per sqm circa £150 per sqft. And the house gets bigger the cost per sqm falls as much is empty space. Land is on top. The land price tends to be worked as a residual. You take the final finshed value, deduct costs and if you are a developer profit. The number that is left is the land value. Thanks NIck. Without giving away any location details, would you happen to have any images of circa 500sqm houses new builds at that sort of spec (150 per ft). Email me through my profile if you don't mind. Many thanks
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JABB
3,181 posts
106 months
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I would just suggest the best quality everything within the budget set. Foremost in the mind will be the visual side. People like to show off, and doors, kitchens etc allow that. Don't put anything in which is classed as high fashion. Dark wood floors I would suggest to leave out.
Also, dress it well. If it is to live in, get custom made furniture which fits, after all, it is the furniture which will make a good deal of impression once finished.
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blueg33
10,893 posts
94 months
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burwoodman said: Thanks NIck. Without giving away any location details, would you happen to have any images of circa 500sqm houses new builds at that sort of spec (150 per ft). Email me through my profile if you don't mind. Many thanks I don't have anything immediatly to hand, most of it is archived and not on this machine. I will have a look and see what I can find. I may need a couple of days as I away away at the moment.
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hughjayteens
1,834 posts
138 months
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Nineoneone
38 posts
59 months
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I am surprised no one has mentioned Insulation.
Fit a full ecotherm vapour barrier, as much celotex & spray foam as space will allow.
I believe in trying to achieve the best energy rating possible for lower running costs & better resale value.
& employ a joiner not a carpenter for the duration of the fit out.
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traxx
2,657 posts
92 months
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Something people round this area always look for are big windows and large floor tiles - 40*40 tiles are no use when lots of the houses use 100*100 or bigger
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Cheburator mk2
1,322 posts
69 months
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We have just bought a reasonable size five bedroom modernist house. Built in 1982, it must have been the bomb back in those days as it already has a few nice feautures - mahogany spiral staircase, exposed brick work, mahogany double glazed floor to ceiling windows pretty much everywhere, wow room for entertaining with a big roof terrace, mahogany doors. The kitchen would make a nice addition to the SieMatic museum, while the wow room Hulsta stuff would look good in any 80s Gekko movie. We want to subtly bring the house in the 21st century, while keeping the modernist spirit. Thanks God, the 3 bathrooms were done to a high standard just before we bought the house. I have read this thread with interest and it seems I am failing to understand a few things: 1. Why would I need speakers in every room? I am not an audiofile, but I am a big fan of hearing two proper speakers wired into a proper amp, in a room such as my library, rather than "piped music" following me everywhere around the house 2. Home automation - I would imagine it would be nice to control the lights, blinds and heating from my iPhone or a dedicated control pannel. But, really, is it a deal braker? If I cannot be bothered to get off the sofa and drop the Luxoflex down a bit before I sit back down to CoD Black Ops, then I think I have bigger problems 3. The above - can those in the know, give me a better example, how home automation can make my life easier, rather than just give me something else to boast about at work? 4. What's with plasma screens in the bathrooms - the master en-suite has one, but I don't really see the point? I guess I need to plug my PS3 and see how I get on... 5. Data cables in each room? I presume it is for home automation, as wireless via BT Infinity, while never as good as cable, works very well for connectivity in the house. Please don't take it as a dig at modernity. I am keen to learn, how the game has moved on, but I also want to make sure that I don't get suckered into a Mercedes CLS(*) scenario either... - there was no real demand for the Mercedes CLS when it was released as the car was not practical etc. But demand was created by virtue of it being beautiful, if actually pretty useles when compared to the E class it was based on...
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Muncher
8,350 posts
119 months
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From my point of view the cabling would be because it's relatively cheap to do when the building is a mess and it's very difficult and expensive to put it in should you need it later.
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toxicnerve
5,441 posts
47 months
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Cheburator,
I think this is one of those things that you either "get"/want or don't. I work in the home automation/AV/integration industry and generally speaking people (i.e. end clients) either want it or not.
I've worked on houses with TVs and ceiling speakers in the En Suite bathrooms, personally I don't see the point but if someone wants to watch Sky News or Russia Today while they shower then who am I to argue?
Equally, if they want a house filled with 38 touch-screens (at £3,000 a pop + installation and programming), one per room that replaces every other wall "control" then why not?
The screens can replace light switches/keypads, thermostats, air-con controls, door-entry systems, alarm keypads etc. On top of that they serve as intercoms, monitoring stations (i.e. listen in on kid's rooms), CCTV monitors, fire alarm repeaters (i.e. they sound a siren and show the location of the last activation), allow control of the dumb-waiter/lift and pretty much any other mechanical or electrical item that requires control (security shutters, blinds, garden irrigation etc). The list of stuff that can be integrated and controlled is endless.
It's not just about audio visual control but if the man of the house wants to watch the Sky coverage of the cricket on the touch-screen while he's in the bog the we can accommodate that too.
Now the above is an extreme example but when I get around to doing my modest 3-bed 1930s semi up I will be implementing some of the tech stuff that has been talked about (namely lighting control, heating/DHW control, IT/networking and some form of media distribution).
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Cheburator mk2
1,322 posts
69 months
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Toxicnerve,
Thanks for the informative reply. I may actually look into some of these features. Can you please pm contact details.
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VEX
1,774 posts
116 months
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The other consideration I suggest to my clients is that it is not nessisarily (spelling) how you want to live, but by getting even a basic cable structure in any future owner can use it as well.
Also people don't realise that wireless halves is speed every time you double the devices using it. Ok for email and Internet put not good when streaming audio and video.
Personally is see it going to local low powered wifi base in or local to rooms but these will be wired from a central hub point.
I already plan and wire hidden points in wardrobes, under kitchen units and in lofts.
I also think you would be supposed by the audio quality you can actually get from in ceiling, back ground speakers. Just ask Rex in his build.
Hth.
V.
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toxicnerve
5,441 posts
47 months
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VEX makes a good point.
Developers (particularly those just starting out/doing it on the side) often forget that they're building/renovating a house for subsequent sale and not or themselves, they invest too much emotion into projects and not enough logic.
They may not see the value in some of the cabling/AV/integration stuff but the customer they are selling to may well do.
Cabling is (relatively) cheap and easy thing to do so why not install a base level of structured cabling that will allow most things that people may want (satellite/TV distribution, speakers, CAT5e for data/other uses) etc. and widen your potential market? You know it makes sense...
Cheburator PM sent.
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Skodasupercar
470 posts
47 months
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Insulation and air tightness.
No point thinking about ANYTHING else first.
All building U-Value should be as close to 0.1W/m2K as practical. Air tightness should be below 2m3/m2/hr@5pa. Fit MVHR and tripple glazed windows.
Consider using timber frame over brick and block construction.
LED Lighting is a must. Don't get to wedded to GU10s. DON't fit MR16, they are the work of the devil. There are a few LED specific lighting packages that work better than GU10 or pendant.
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hughjayteens
1,834 posts
138 months
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I can echo pretty much what Vex and Toxicnerve have said with regards to home automation. A reasonable chunk of our business is for property developers and they wouldn't spend money on this stuff if they didn't get a return on it. Structured cabling is a given, with consideration for hidden wireless access points in wardrobes and cupboards etc and most fit a degree of lighting control (we always programme a 'welcome' scene on the front door keypad which sets a nice lighting scene throughout the house and plays some low level music throughout for when the agents are showing people around). This same welcome button may then be reprogrammed when someone moves in, to light up the hallway and the kitchen when pressed during the daylight hours, but in the evenings might illuminate a low level pathway of light up to the kids bedrooms (I have this at home and it's great when the kids fall asleep in the car after dark).
A modern kitchen/family room may have 8-10 circuits of lighting in it (2 or 3 circuits of downlights, over island pendants, dining table pendant, lamp sockets, under cupboard lighting, over cupboard lighting etc etc) and without a lighting control system, you'd have to come in and flick 8 switches or fiddle with 8 dimmers to get levels right whereas with a control system, a single press of a labelled button would bring all lights up to a preset level. A typical keypad may have a 'daytime' setting, an 'evening' setting, an 'entertain' setting and an 'all on' setting for cleaning etc. Lots of systems also record your real world lighting activity and then play this back when you are on holiday to simulate occupancy, (including opening and closing blinds and curtains). 'All Off' buttons by the front door can give you peace of mind that all lights and AV kit are switched off when you go away for the weekend (and can also switch the HVAC system into an eco mode if required).
What people do does depend largely on the location though so maybe speak to some local top-end agents and get some advice on what helps resale. Most of our work is in Surrey and Central London where the demand for smart home tech seems to be higher than in Bucks or Herts in my experience. It's not unheard of for a top end project to have £40/sq.ft spent on integrated technology in prime london locations, whereas £20/sq.ft may be more realistic for a top end system in prime Home Counties locations. Developers may spend 1/4 to 1/2 this amount to tick the boxes on a spec sheet.
The key with all of this stuff is to do it well enough to make life easier for the occupants, not scare them off. Most of our clients are not part of the computer/iphone generation so the technology has to be extremely intuitive (with engraved buttons etc rather than blank or numbered ones) and above all, completely reliable (hence avoiding the potential risk of wireless solutions where possible).
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